


End On A High Note

by thisislegit



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 15:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2394299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisislegit/pseuds/thisislegit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanji sat on the edge of the couch, pulling out a box of cigarettes, placing one between his lips. A tan hand grabbed his wrist before he could take out his lighter. He looked at Zoro raising an eyebrow, and Zoro gripped his wrist tightly before letting go. Sanji snorted, and let the unlit cigarette hang from his lips. He never did like his smoking inside. Said it left a bad taste in his mouth, and that the rooms stunk with smoke for days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	End On A High Note

Zoro had been sitting on the couch, half asleep, as the food channel played on mute. Sanji resisted the impulse to boot him off the couch, and instead pushed the throw over so it landed on his torso.

“Idiot,” he mumbled, watching his chest rise and fall.

Failing to resist the urge, he leaned down, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. A calloused hand pressed against the back of his neck, and he was pulled forward into a soft pressing of lips on lips. It was very different from the kisses they normally shared. There were a few words he could list from the top of his head of what they were like. Desperate, yearning, needy, and sometimes they were simple, as if they weren’t kissing to do anything, but pass the time. Leaning back, he looked into dark brown eyes with dark circles under them.

“Hey,” he said before yawning.

“Hey yourself. What did I say about sleeping on the couch?”

“I don’t remember.”

Sanji pinched his nose, saying, “Bullshit. I don’t want to hear you complaining about your back again.”

Zoro slapped his hand away and sat up so fast that their heads nearly knocked together.

“Fine, fine. No need to get your panties in a twist.”

“You dyed your hair again.”

“It’s the same color it’s always been.”

“You look like a garden gnome, moss ball.”

“Well, what am I? A garden gnome or a moss ball?” he asked, smiling.

Sanji sat on the edge of the couch, pulling out a box of cigarettes, placing one between his lips. A tan hand grabbed his wrist before he could take out his lighter. He looked at Zoro raising an eyebrow, and Zoro gripped his wrist tightly before letting go. Sanji snorted, and let the unlit cigarette hang from his lips. He never did like his smoking inside. Said it left a bad taste in his mouth, and that the rooms stunk with smoke for days.

“You know if you went to your natural hair color you’d be able to find a steady job.”

“This is my natural hair color, and my job is steady. You just don’t like what I do for a living.”

“It’s not even stealthy, you’re gonna get yourself killed… Brook is hiring again. You should go talk to him about that teaching position for self-defense. He can never keep one for long due to how rowdy the kids are.”

No response.

“You could work at that gothic clothing store. I’ve seen people there with pink and purple hair.”

Zoro remained silent.

“You have a job tonight, don’t you,” he said setting the cigarette on the side table.

The filter had become wet with spit.

Zoro turned so that the blanket fell onto the floor. Leaning against him, was the closest to a confirmation he received. Sanji sagged with the weight of the information against the back of the couch. He knew he should’ve recognized that first kiss for what it was; a goodbye kiss.

The couch shifted. Sanji felt a pair of wet lips press against the juncture between his neck and shoulder, as the topmost button of his shirt was popped open.

“How long will you be gone?”

A second button was tugged from its slot, and a hand reached under his shirt, tweaking a nipple, and making him flinch.

“Two weeks?”

Zoro kissed along his jaw, stopping at his ear to tug on the lobe with his teeth. They had figured out a system to communicate such things, as Zoro wasn’t one for talking too much.

“Two months.”

The rest of the buttons on his shirt were popped open in quick succession, but Sanji puhed his head away, and stood up.

“You’re gonna be gone for two months?”

“Sanji-“

“Don’t you do that. You just got back. You just got back, and now you’re pulling this shit on me like it’ll be okay?”

“After this I won’t have to pick up another job for almost half a year.”

Sanji ignored him, buttoning up his shirt as he went into the kitchen. Zoro sighed laying down on his side, listening to the banging of pans and other kitchenware. This wasn’t how he wanted to say goodbye, but with Sanji this pissed off, it was likely he would be sleeping alone again.

Music began blaring from the kitchen, and Zoro got up from the couch, knowing it was better to address the problem than let him sit on it all night. Walking inside, he saw his partner dicing up pieces of chocolate. A container of heavy cream sat next to the cutting board, and a stick of butter sat in a cool pan on the stove. Zoro just watched his slicing, measuring, and pouring ingredients as he took them from different cabinets.

“How was work?”

Sanji’s hand paused for a moment. Then he went back to whisking the cream into a thick froth.

Zoro stepped over to stand next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder saying, “I’m sorry, I-“

The bowl clattered on the counter, and Zoro found himself flat on his back. He swiped his leg against Sanji’s ankles knocking his off balance to fall directly on top of his. Groaning, Sanji recovered, and reached over to land a second punch, but Zoro grabbed his wrists, and they got into a wrestling match.

In a few moments, Sanji was pinned under Zoro’s weight, struggling against his grip.

“Get off!”

“Not if you’re going to punch me again.”

The throbbing in his cheek ebbed on, while they were engaged in a staring contest, chests heaving with labored breath. Eventually Sanji looked away first, and Zoro let his wrists go, but he still sat on his waist, keeping his pinned. Sanji rubbed at his wrists, counting to ten, before looking at Zoro again.

“Your lip is bleeding.”

“No thanks to you.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Thursday.”

That was three days from now.

“Get off me,” he said, defeated.

Zoro listened this time, helping him back on his feet. Sanji’s blonde hair was mussed up from their match. He would likely be combing knots out of it for a while. Reaching up he tangled his hand in his hair, and lightly tugged some of the strands away from each other. Sanji leaned into his touch, so much that soon they were chest to chest. Zoro running his hands through his hair, traces of oil seeping between his fingers, and Sanji breathing quietly.

“How was work?” he asked again.

This time Sanji was more open, and less violent with his response. Work was fine. Jubei was caught sneaking alcohol, and was fired promptly. He told his about the look on his face, when one of the new girls saw him with a bag going to his car, before the plastic wore out, and a bottle of wine crahed onto the concrete. Zoro asked about how he knew how he looked when it happened, and Sanji reminded him of the cameras they have out by the dumpster. Other than that, the work day was fairly lax. There was this huge group of old people that arrived without a reservation, so the wait time for everyone who came afterwards was extended by 20 minutes more than usual. Sanji kept the waitress from spitting in their food, but just barely.

He had grown so talkative that he nearly forgot about what they had been fighting over.

“I won’t keep doing this, you know?”

“I thought you liked your job.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

“Sanji.”

“You better cherish these next three days you have with me before you leave, because they will be the last. No more waiting for you at home like a lost puppy. I’m a great catch, Zoro. In every aspect, and people see that. People flirt with me all day, and I know I deserve more than what you’re giving me.”

“… You should finish cooking. The cream’s been sitting out for too long.”

Zoro didn’t heed Sanji’s warning. The next three days were even more uneventful than usual. Sanji went to work around 8am, for the breakfast shift on Mondays, but he was out most of the afternoon and evening on Tuesday, as he offered to fill in for the first day of Robin’s maternity leave. Whenever he walked in the door, Zoro waved, and they sat on the couch together watching reruns, until Sanji made dinner or they ordered take-out.

They didn’t have sex even once.

On Wednesday night, as he was lying in bed, Sanji sat against the headboard, waiting for his to get out of the shower. When the water stopped running, Zoro stepped out, only in boxers, and his short green hair was plastered to his head by water. Instead of saying anything, he lifted the blanket for his partner to crawl under. They adjusted so that Sanji laid on Zoro’s chest, and his arm was going to fall asleep if they stayed in that position for too long.

“Tonight’s the last night.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I’m changing the lock as soon as you leave. I’m surprised you haven’t tried anything yet.”

“As am I.”

“Are we just going to bed, or are we gonna have sex?”

“You tell me.”

Sanji reached up and pinched his nose in a warning. Slapping his hand away, Zoro went back to rubbing circles in his back.

“Good night, moss ball.”

“Night.”

***

Sanji woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Looking at the clock, he noticed he would have to be at work in a few hours, but he grew preoccupied finding the last bit of warmth in the sheets, and lying there. His pillow still smelled like that cucumber melon soap he used. Sanji had bought it for him, once a few years ago as a joke, but Zoro ended up liking it so much that he switched over.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he convinced himself that getting out of bed was a worthy venture. He tasted the plaque that clung to his teeth, and grimaced at what his morning breath was probably like. There was a clanging sound from the kitchen, which made him freeze. He took a quick survey of the room, and found his baseball bat.

The apartment was still very dark, as the sun hadn’t risen yet, but he knew the layout very well at that point. There was a small slither of light coming from the front door. In the kitchen, a dark figure hunched over the ice box, and Sanji breathed out slowly through his mouth as to not make a sound.

Seems as though a hobo broke into his house, and he really didn’t want to knock one unconscious, but apparently fate had something different in mind for him. Taking a step on cold tile, he knocked over a long case, the clattering sound making the figure look up.

It was now or never.

Running towards the figure, he swung the bat, but the person was fast, and maneuvered away from the swing. Slipping behind him, they twisted his arm hard enough to make his lose grip on the bat, and pinned him against the counter.

“What the hell, Sanji!”

“Zoro?”

“Yeah.”

“Let go of me, you stupid moss ball.”

His arm was released, the lights were turned on, and to be honest, Sanji didn’t think he would have to look at his boyfriend’s face again so soon.

“Two things; one, don’t leave the door open. Two, how about you turn on the damn light because it’s easier to see, so I won’t think you’re a hobo, and try to beat you with a baseball bat.”

“That is very good advice,” he deadpanned.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I was on my way out, but figured I’d grab something before I left.”

“Good, because it’ll be the last thing you grab, because you’ll be leaving, and not coming back.”

“What about my stuff?”

“I’m selling it online,” he said crossing his arms.

“Including my bed?”

“Our be- _my_ bed, you mean.”

“No, pretty sure it’s mine, as I paid for the mattress. You can have the cover set though. Never really liked red that much.”

“That’s because with your hair you make it Christmas themed.”

Zoro shrugged. It was usually his response, when he couldn’t find an argument with him. Sanji went to the coupon drawer, pulled out a box of cigarettes, and a lighter. He always kept an emergency pack in the kitchen, in case he ran out too early by the end of the month. Putting one between his lips, he flicked the cap off the lighter, but clicked it back on again. Zoro was still here. Therefore, so was the no smoking inside rule.

He went over to stand in front of him, and Sanji realized just how small he was in comparison. Had Zoro always been so bulky? A kiss was placed on his forehead, then his nose, but stopped a cigarette’s length away from his lips.

“I have morning breath,” he said after taking it from his lips.

“Never stopped me before.”

This kiss wasn’t nearly as soft as the one he was greeted his with, a few days ago.  It was more like a fight, with lip biting, and teeth jarring against each other. Everything seemed to be like a fight between them, recently. He found himself being lifted onto the marble counter. Goosebumps spread over his thighs. He struggled pushing the suit jacket from Zoro’s shoulders, leaving it to get wrinkled on the floor.

While kissing, and touching, and just feeling, very fleetingly, questions buzzed around in Sanji’s mind. Would he have to make an ebay account, or could he just use craigslist? Why were his hands always so calloused? Didn’t they have lotion? Why hadn’t they had sex in the kitchen before? How was he supposed to run his hands through his dumb green hair, if it was always so short? The action was more similar to tousling, right?

Zoro’s mouth seized his neck, sucking dark marks into the skin, and he was lost in the sensation. Before his mind was taken over with feelings of just pleasure, he thought that this was kind of a stupid way to say good bye.

***

Roughly two months, and a week later, Zoro stood outside the door to their apartment. His suit looked just as rumpled as the day he left, and he gripped the key in his hand, so that the imprint had sunk into his palm. Putting the key into the lock, there was no resistance to the turning, and the door opened just as easily as it would any other day. He could smell gingerbread baking in the oven, and the television was playing one of those old clay animated Christmas specials.

Sanji didn’t turn around at the sound of the door shutting, instead choosing to sit on the couch, wrapped in a tacky green and red throw. A timer sat on the side table, nearing zero with each second.

“The key still works,” he said from the doorway.

“Great job at figuring out that one. Want a cookie for all your detective work?”

“Would you call me a smartass if I say yes?”

“Absolutely.”

The timer began ringing, prompting Sanji to get up, throw forgotten on the couch, and walk into the kitchen. Zoro followed after him, and was assaulted with the display on the table. A honey roasted ham sat in the middle of glass crock ware holding all types of sides, from green beans to sweet potatoes. Zoro watched him take a tray of gingerbread men out of the oven, and place them on the cooling rack next to several pies.

“I’m having a party tonight, so you have about 30 seconds to give me a reason not to call the cops on you.”

“You didn’t change the lock, and all my stuff is still here.”

“You’ve automatically lost ten seconds with that response.”

Zoro shrugged again, watching Sanji take some of the cooled gingerbread cookies, and putting them inside a pool of icing, next to the well-constructed gingerbread house. Walking behind him, he pulled an envelope from his pocket, placing it on the counter next to his arm.

“If that’s a check for how much you made, I don’t want to see it.”

“It’s not.”

Sanji put the last cooled gingerbread man into the icing pool, and grabbed the opened envelope with crumbs still clinging to his fingers. He pulled out the letter, skimmed over it, looked up at Zoro, and then looked back down at the letter again to read it properly. Zoro grabbed a hot cookie, as he read, and nearly burned his tongue. He then eyed the bowl of icing, about to dip his headless cookie into it, before Sanji caught the movement, flicking his hand away.

“You actually went to Brook about the job.”

“Yeah.”

“Does that mean you’re done with your old job?”

“I would think so.”

“Zoro.”

“Yes, I’m done with my old job. This new one doesn’t pay as well, or have very good vacation days, but I hear the benefits are amazing.”

“Doesn’t say what benefits you get,” he said crossing his arms.

“Well the first one is that I don’t have to go looking for a new apartment.”

“Hm… no, don’t think it says that.”

“It also says, I’ll be able to see my partner whenever he gets done with work for the day.”

“Is that somewhere in the fine print?”

Sanji let himself be pulled into Zoro’s arms, and rested his head against his chest. He still smelled like cucumber melon, and Sanji wasn’t sure if it mixed well with the scent of ginger and cinnamon, but he found that maybe he could survive the mix.

“You know that this is a baby step in the right direction for you right? Like a literal baby step. If I were to take my baby niece, and watch her take a step forward, that is the amount of progress you’ve made so far for realizing you’re an idiot.”

“Ah, but you admit that it’s a step in the right direction.”

“Babies get lost all the time. They have no sense of object permanence.”

“Well, you have always been here.”

Pulling away so he could look up at his boyfriend Sanji said, “God, you’re worse than nicotine. Pretty sure I smoke more when you’re here.”

“Then I’ll try to be healthier than that.”

**Author's Note:**

> my first zosan fanfic, and i know i should be updating bagginshield, but i feel that you should all know that i really love one piece
> 
> so much
> 
> and there needs to be more zosan in the tag, because 16 pages isnt nearly enough fanfiction of them


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